Remediation of soils contaminated with pesticides: a review

Abstract

The aim of this work is to address the problem of soil contamination with pesticides and present a review of the existing techniques for remediation of these types of soils. First, a brief discussion of the soil structure and complexity is presented, and the impact of its contamination by pesticides is examined. Then, the main existing and emerging techniques for soil remediation, particularly for the elimination of pesticides, is discussed, and their relative advantages and disadvantages presented. In order to choose the best remediation technology, one must take into consideration the soil and site characteristics, the technique suitability, the costs and the environmental footprint. The comparison of existing technologies will be a helpful tool for a preliminary selection of the most promising techniques to use for a particular soil decontamination problem.

Keywords:

• pesticides
• decontamination techniques
• soil remediation
• cost evaluation

Acknowledgements

Teresa Castelo Grande acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia for the grant no. SFRH/BD/29893/2006.